The Climate Emergency Fund (CEF) is for UBC Vancouver faculty and staff-led programs that mobilize and cultivate learning, research, and community engagement efforts in climate action by students.
The CEF is a one-time, $1.5 million fund comprised of incremental tuition fees that was awarded to successful UBC applicants in 2021.
Impact
The Climate Emergency Fund advances one or more of the following three priorities in the CETF report:
Foster a culture of engagement and advoacy on climate action
Support community wellbeing in the face of the climate crisis
Expand climate education opportunities and resources for the UBC community and broader public
How it came to be
The CEF emerged through advocacy from the student-led UBC Climate Hub and close collaboration with elected AMS and GSS student leaders. Proposals were accepted over winter 2020-21, and in late spring 2021, a twelve-member Committee met to analyze the seven proposals that were received. All seven proposals demonstrated excellent student leadership and were successfully awarded full or partial funding.
Reporting
All recipients submitted a final report to the UBC Sustainability Hub detailing how the funds were spent, project successes and challenges, and an evaluation of impact in 2023.
Award Recipients
Climate Hub 2.0
$362,100
Increased climate-related community building, advocacy, and justice
Transdisciplinary Collaborative PhD Pilot for Climate Emergency
$323,500
Pilot a collaborative PhD cohort on the climate emergency
Centre for Community Engaged Learning
$201,762
A Social Impact Lab: Activating student change agents on the climate emergency
UBC Sustainability Hub
$281,143
Accelerating and amplifying UBC Sustainability Hub’s climate action programs
Campus and Community Planning
$162,435
SEEDS applied research and engagement and outreach programs; Accelerating UBC’s climate emergency response: Student-led interdisciplinary applied research, engagement and knowledge mobilization
Public Scholars Initiative
$143,500
Climate emergency scholars group
Climate Justice UBC
$24,460
Funding to support coordination of activities
GLOBAL IMPACT
The Climate Emergency Fund created valuable opportunities for the 7 student-led and -focused units and organizations with 62 projects to broaden and deepen climate action efforts across metro Vancouver, BC, and beyond.
Campus Impact
The Climate Emergency Fund also supported students, faculty, and staff at UBC to expand research and engagement on climate action across a broad range of disciplines. 7 faculties were backed by Climate Education Grants,and 140 student hires in total received support.
Where are they now?
Sustainability Ambassadors Program
Climate Justice UBC
UBC Climate Hub
Climate Action Mobilizers
Public Scholars Initiative
Transdisciplinary Collaborative PhD Pilot for Climate Emergency
Committee Members
Co-Chairs
Linda Nowlan, Senior Director, UBC Sustainability Hub
Georgia Yee, UBC Student Governor and Former AMS Vice President of Academic
Members
Nafeesa Alibhai, Student Director, UBC Climate Hub
Jess Dempsey, Associate Professor, Geography
Matt Dolf, UBC Wellbeing Director, Office of the Vice-President, Students
Amanda Giang, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Kimani Karangu, GSS President
Jason Pang, AMS, AVP Sustainability
Britt Runeckles, Climate Justice UBC
Aviva Savelson, Senior Manager, Public Engagement, Campus and Community Planning
Balsher Singh Sidhu, IRES Graduate Student
Serbulent Turan, Public Scholarship Coordinator, Graduate Programs
